Angela Mary Willoughby

January 8, 1936 - December 15, 2023

With great sadness, we share the passing of our dear mother, Angela Mary (Kiel) Willoughby, of Burlingame, CA, on December 15th, at the age of 87. She was a wonderful mother who always looked out for family, steadfastly supporting us through our successes and challenges. She deeply loved her family, her close friends, her many pets over the years, and many in the community.

She is survived by her sister, Dorothy Johnes (Godfrey, Ill), her brother and his wife Denis and Jenice Kiel (Brussels, Ill), and many loving extended family members; as well as her four daughters, Mary (Jeff), Nancy, Andrea (Kevin), Jeannie (Tim) all Bay Area residents; and grandchildren Shannon (James), Kaylan (Eric), Chase, Jake, Mikaela, Bailey, Liam, Jackson and Braden; and great grandchildren Vincent, Matilda, Savannah, Fiona, Hudson, and William. She was predeceased by her loyal and loving husband of 66 years, Joseph Victor “Vic” Willoughby; parents, William and Dorothy (Schmidt) Kiel; brothers, Cyril, William, and Lee Kiel; and sister, Sister Mary Dorothy Kiel.

“Angie” was born in Brussels, Illinois, a beautiful farmland area between the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Her parents, farmers of German descent, grew crops and raised livestock just a mile outside the village of Brussels. Angie was hardworking in school and life. Farm life taught her how to cook, clean, sew and care for the farm animals. She truly loved all animals, big and small, always willing to help any animal in need… dog, cat, bird, mouse or rat.

Angie said she always wanted to be a nurse. She attended Brussels Community High School, and in 1957 graduated from St. Joseph School of Nursing in Alton, Illinois. Angie and Vic married in 1957. In 1963 they relocated to California for Vic’s work with the San Francisco based Crown Zellerbach company, settling in Burlingame, CA. Angie began working at Mills Memorial Hospital in 1967, then Mills Peninsula, as a labor and delivery nurse for most of her more than 40 year career. She is remembered by many of her patients, who appreciated her compassion and empathy.

Angie was an avid seamstress during her life, sewing most of the girls’ matching dresses when they were children. In her later years, she developed a passion for writing poetry and published a Legacy of Poems, expressing her deep feelings for family, friends, nature, and animals. With her fun and competitive spirit, she found a passion for ping pong in her sixties. She could also be seen regularly walking her beloved pets, first Casey, and then later, Buddy, all around the neighborhood, stopping to chat with many neighbors. Most of all she loved being with family and friends.

Her memorial rosary service will be held at 10:30am, Saturday, January 6th, followed directly by a funeral mass at 11am, both held at St. Catherine of Siena Parish, at 1310 Bayswater Ave, Burlingame, CA 94010. For more information or livestream link, please contact Crosby-N. Gray Funeral Home in Burlingame, CA.

If you’d like to make a memorial contribution in her honor, please consider the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Greenpeace.